Alaskan Cruise Lives Up To Expectations

Item: Celebrity Solstice
Rating: 4.7
Author: clsm929

Celebrity Solstice Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

clsm929

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Tracy Arm Fjord (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 14, 2017

Ship: Celebrity Solstice

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7210

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Everyone I know says that Alaska is the best cruise. The views are stunning and the ports fun. This ship is a nice and sophisticated place, but not at all stuffy. The people are great and educational presentations are as good if not better than traditional entertainment. The food is, as I had expected, above average for a mainstream cruise line. I would have been fine with the "free food", but the Tuscan, Sushi on Five and Cafe al Bacio experiences were with the extra expense.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Celebrity cannot help the fact that the traffic to Terminal 91 embarkation is horrific. Once dropped off, however, Celebrity makes the process quick and painless. Although I have seen reviews describing confusion about bags or lines to RCCL vs Celebrity, we did not have any problems at all. Once onboard, we were greeted by pleasant folks with champagne. Then up to the buffet and a relaxed lunch before muster drill.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Upfront, let me point out that I do not expect a fantastic foodie experience in a buffet. The food selection and taste of the food in the Oceanview was more than fine, and better than our recollection on the RC Liberty of the Seas. The Main Dining experience was very good, with spot on recommendations by our waiter. I can't think of one thing that we had that wasn't tasty and fresh/well prepared. Our waiter was professional and learned our preferences right away. We ate one night as a family in the Tuscan specialty restaurant. My son and I had filets and my wife a ribeye. The meal was exceptional, prepared as ordered and, well, special. The surprise is a place named Sushi on Five. You pay by the items you order and enjoy freshly created foods.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The amenities are in abundance, but outside time is limited by the fact that this is nearer the North Pole than the Caribbean. Nothing ever seemed crowded despite a full ship.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The performances by singers/dancers/aerialists were fun, well done and one time actually crowded beyond the capacity of the large theater. Where this cruise separates from our last (only other) was the offering of educational opportunities with a famous naturalist and equally famous cultural expert. We learned a great deal about both aspects of Alaska and Canada that then made a difference in how we experienced our ports of call. In addition, there was an active duty Mounty (RCMP) who gave talks/Q&A's about Canadian and Mounty history.

Children's Programs

Our son is an adult.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our Stateroom attendant was at once non intrusive but available and made our time simple. Our waiter had a mixture of professionalism and humanity that was refreshing. Our waiter assistant and sommelier were available and easygoing. Everyone with whom we had contact, from the people at guest relations to the shopkeepers, and my favorite server at the coffee shop (Cafe al Bacio) made my days easy and better.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

I love cruise ships. This one was qualitatively different than RC Liberty of the Seas, but was just as wonderful in its own way. It has a sophisticated style with whimsical touches here and there. We were always comfortable and could make many choices about where and when we wanted to spend our time. Our master captain gave a talk one day (very well attended) about his part in the final design and actual build out of this and other Solstice class ships. Much of what I liked most about this ship was given much thought in advance and it works. The ship is not brand new, but it feels like a great place to be when you are aboard.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The cabin was comfortable and fine for our needs. We spent less time on our balcony due to the whole Alaska thing, but it also was fine, especially very early on fjord day. There was a lot of storage space and the bathroom was especially nicely outfitted. Our son was in an inside cabin down the hall, and the little bit I saw was attractive. He liked it, but is not a stay in room guy.

Ship tip

Be sure to see all that you can on the ship and enjoy the education as well as the entertainment. Also, the Cafe al Bacio and Sushi on Five should not be missed.

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